Vote on the best magazine covers of the year

Sept. 1 was the first day to vote in the American Society of Magazine Editors' best cover of the year contest on Amazon.com.

Voters can log on to cast a ballot e for favorite covers among the six finalists in 10 categories: Best in Science, Technology & Nature; Best in Business; Sexiest Cover; Best in Lifestyle; Best Obama Cover; Best in House & Home; Most Delicious Cover; Best in Fashion & Beauty; Best in Sports & Fitness and Best in Entertainment & Celebrity.

Here's the ballot page:
Amazon.com's Best Magazine Covers of the Year

And here's a gallery of cool finalists: Cover Gallery: All Nominees

Voting on the finalists will be open until Sept. 20. Voting for the grand prize winner will open up on Sept. 21 and run until Sept. 30. All people casting a ballot will be eligible to win a $10,000 Amazon.com gift card.

The Economist now on Kindle

The Economist recently launched on Amazon's Kindle and Kindle DX on June 30 after much speculation and anticipation about when the magazine would take the plunge into the new medium. The magazine became a member of Kindle's growing collection of 32 magazines and journals. From the press release:

"We want to give our readers access to The Economist in whichever form they choose," said Alan Press, Senior Vice President, Marketing. "Whether it is in print form, on the Internet or now on Kindle, The Economist provides commentary and analysis for people who are curious about the world, and we will provide it to them in a format that works for their lifestyle."

View the press release here.

What do you think of the Kindle and other portable readers as a medium for news? Comment and share your thoughts.

PHOTO CREDIT: AMAZON.COM

Bloomberg mag to expand in print and online

An expansion is in the works for Bloomberg magazine's print and online efforts, according to reports from the Financial Times.
The story says that the move comes after several recent key hires, including the new publisher of Bloomberg Markets magazine, Michael Dukmejian, who spent 26 years at Time Inc. Norm Pearlstine, the former Time Inc editor in chief, and Andy Lack, the former NBC News president, were also hired to help expand the reach of the company's editorial output beyond the traditional Bloomberg terminal.
From the story: “I think the magazine and the company are in a unique position today to do the kind of business journalism today that a lot of companies with strained resources aren’t doing,” Mr Dukmejian told the FT.

Playboy may be up for grabs

The New York Post reported today that Hugh Hefner's Playboy Enterprises is quietly for sale. The well-known empire is reportedly being shopped around for $300 million but no interested parties have stepped forward to make an offer, New York Post sources said.

The iconic brand has been doing a lot of cost cutting and in the most recent quarter, the company said it lost $13.7 million. Revenue is also down for Playboy.

From the article:

"The empire's iconic bunny ears are one of the most identifiable trademarks in the world, but the empire has fallen on hard times as the Internet and video-on-demand have eroded its core brand, the magazine."

Breaking: Portfolio shuts down

Folio is reporting that Condé Nast has shut down Portfolio magazine with staffers getting the news this morning. From the article:

"The magazine had watched ad pages plummet 60.9 percent during the first quarter, according to Publishers Information Bureau figures."

Read the full article here.

Wired editor on free media

Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired, talks about his new book and his notion that media companies can succeed in today's marketplace by charging consumers little or nothing, in the December issue of Media magazine.

He compares online tools and software to the media market and says music and video games will become free. He states that nobody wants to read an entire book online...we have to agree with that.
Anderson also comments on the newspaper and magazine model, saying "Most media has always been free to air. They say that if you understand why they sell newspapers in boxes that don't limit the number of copies you can take, you understand the newspaper business. They aren't selling newspapers. They're selling audiences to advertisers. [Magazines] charge a nominal price that is as close to zero as possible to incentivize the largest number of people to subscribe, but not so close to zero that it makes the product look de-valued. But it has no relation to the underlying costs."
Read the entire article here.

Beyond the big guns

The New York Post highlights business-themed magazines that are sometimes overshadowed by big players like Fortune, BusinessWeek and Condé Nast Portfolio.
Here's a sampling from their report:

• Black Enterprise: The magazine, which focuses on the rich and soon-to-be-rich, has almost 1 million readers and is one of publishing's great success stories, according to the report. It recently got a makeover and includes stories on politics, business and news. For example, the magazine covered the $11.6 million award to Anucha Browne Sanders, who won a sexual harassment settlement from Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas.

• Dealmaker:The New York Post says Dealmaker is a magazine for investment bankers who want to read about great they are and how much society loves them. The magazine recently featured Tom Perkins, 75, who still buys $500,000 cars and yachts.

To read the full report click here.

Prosper Out of Print

California-based Propser, a monthly magazine for the greater Sacramento market focusing on capturing "the entrepreneurial spirit of the people and organizations who are flourishing," is taking what seems to have become the path of choice in today's startup publishing market. The company is halting its print publication, laying off employees and taking time to ponder...can you guess what? Yes, they are considering online initiatives as a way to continue the Prosper brand.
Get more details on the changes in a video message here.

The Atlantic Monthly is now just The Atlantic

The Atlantic Monthly is officially dropping "monthly" and now calling itself The Atlantic, according to the New York Post's Keith Kelly.
Kelly says the change comes after the magazine decided to publish just 10 times each year and also move its sales and marketing staff from Washington DC to New York.
The magazine's name dates back to 1857, the year of The Atlantic Monthly's first issue.
The idea for the magazine came after Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russel Lowe, Oliver Wendell Homes met in Boston's Parker House for a summit.
The group wanted a magazine that had a distinctly American voice and would promote the "American Idea." That, they decided, was The Atlantic Monthly.
For Kelly's full report on the changes at the magazine click here.

BusinessWeek: layoffs and staff shuffle

As many as a dozen BusinessWeek employees will be laid off as magazine combines it print and digital staff into a one editorial operation, according to a report from Folio.
An internal memo was given to staff on Wednesday by editor Stephen Adler.
Folio points out that the layoffs come as BusinessWeek experiences success. It's readership is up 3 percent and newsstand sales up 25 percent.
To read the full report click here.

Baseball star enters magazines

Lenny Dykstra, a star player with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, will launch a magazine with Doubledown Media aimed at helping athletes make smart financial decisions and establish post-career wealth.
Called The Players Club, the magazine will be sent to athletes, agents, team managers and officials in 10 major sports. It is scheduled to debut in April.
Dykstra was a member of the 1986 World Champion New York Mets team and has since established himself as a successful businessman and columnist for TheStreet.com.
To read the full release click here.